Perry's Monument to close for 2017

PUT-IN-BAY — Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial likely won't open next season. That's because the monument will undergo long-awaited repairs and maintenance work, park superintendent Barbara Fearon said. The entire monument will be repointed, which will close the rotunda and observation deck on the 352-foot-tall memorial. The project will cost at least $3 million in federal funds, according to cost estimates. Fearon explains the process:"The monument is essentially a series of granite blocks with mortar joints. These joints need to be periodically cleaned out and mortared again. We've done a lot of testing and we've determined it would be better for the monument to use a cement-based mortar. That will allow the monument to breathe as intended."It's been about 30 years since the monument received such extensive maintenance. Other recent repars include:• In July 2016, the monument was struck by lightning. The strike caused damage to the memorial's elevator system. No one was hurt. It reopened about one week later after crews repaired the system.• In 2009, its exterior began shedding pieces of granite. A chunk of the memorial's observation deck broke off and plummeted to the ground. No one was hurt. It underwent a $6 million renovation and reopened in 2012. "This is an important project for us," Fearon said. "We hope we'll be able to get some cleaning done as well."Next year's work will be done using swing platforms rather than traditional scaffolding. Fearon said this will help streamline the maintenance project. "That will allow us to get this work done in one season instead of two seasons," Fearon said. Reach reporter Patrick Pfanner at pfanner@sanduskyregister.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatPfanner and at Facebook.com/PatPfanner. Visitors stand along the outlook at the top of Perry's Monument in Put-in-Bay on July 15.The sun shines over Perry's Monument in Put-in-Bay on July 15.Since Perry's Monument likely won't open next season, this view of Put-in-Bay will be temporarily unavailable. The monument plans to do maintenance work.Visitors look over Put-in-Bay from the top of Perry's Monument on July 15.Boats come and go from Put-in-Bay during a sunny afternoon on July 15.